Delhi: Couple arrested in Vasant Vihar triple murder case

New Delhi: Two persons, including a woman, have been arrested from Gurugram in connection with the triple murder of an elderly couple and their medical attendant in South Delhi’s Vasant Apartment, the police said on Wednesday.

On Sunday morning, the elderly couple, Vishnu Mathur (78) and Shashi Mathur (75), and their nursing attendant, Khushbu Nautiyal (24), were found with their throats slit at their residence in Vasant Apartment near Vasant Village.

According to the police, the accused had incurred losses in a restaurant business. The duo, identified as Preeti Sehrawat (42) and her boyfriend Manoj Bhatt (39), decided to make up for the losses by robbing the elderly couple and ended up killing the aged couple and their medical attendant.

Preeti and Manoj, who were also live-in partners, were arrested from a hotel in Gurugram.

“Preeti used to run a restaurant in Sector 9 in Gurugram and was earlier married to a man named Nicholas in the year 2000. However, her husband left her in 2005 and settled in Canada,” a senior police officer said.

“She met Manoj at her birthday party about three years back after which the two got into a live-in relationship. They entered a restaurant business, but suffered huge losses. They also started a paying guest service in Sector 38, Gurugram, but again suffered losses,” said Satish Golcha, Special Commissioner of Police, Crime Branch.

According to Golcha, Vishnu Mathur’s daughter revealed that few days back one Preeti, who was their family friend, had suddenly visited her parents on June 17 and had also stayed there overnight.

Golcha added that Preeti even had a conversation with Mathur’s daughter on that night over the phone. Preeti had used the phone of Khushbu, the attendant, to talk to the daughter of the elderly couple, Golcha said.

On receiving the information, a special team was deputed to track the movement of Preeti. The team observed that Preeti, along with a man, was continuously shifting hotels even though both of them had their residences in Gurugram.

This continuous shifting raised suspicion and the team later apprehended the duo.

During interrogation, the duo revealed that they were constantly on the lookout for a vulnerable target and had zeroed in on the hapless septuagenarian couple. Preeti, in order to execute their plan, had visited Mathurs’ place where she stayed overnight. Preeti and Manoj had also visited the area together to do a recce of their escape route.

“The duo told the police that on the night of the incident, Preeti and Manoj reached Vasant Apartment on a bike. Being aware of the CCTV cameras, they had covered their faces. Preeti went to Mathur’s flat first while Manoj followed a few minutes later,” Golcha said.

“Khushbu had opened the door, while the Mathurs were in their bed room. Manoj asked Khushbu to switch on the TV to suppress any possible shriek. He then took out a bottle of cold drink in which he had already mixed alcohol.

“Preeti asked Khushbu to prepare tea. Thereafter, Manoj stabbed Khushbu multiple times in the dining area and then went on to kill the elderly couple. They ransacked the entire flat for more than two hours before fleeing,” added Golcha.

After committing the crime, the duo went to Preeti’s house in Sector 9 and from there the two booked a hotel where they checked in on June 23.